The present invention relates to a process and equipment for providing low-oxygen (hypoxic) environments inside a computer cabinet or container with combustible or explosive material in order to prevent or suppress fire before it starts.
The demand in reliable fire prevention and suppression systems for industrial applications has been always very high and is growing extensively, especially with the explosive development of Internet, computerized equipment and communication systems. The invented Fire Prevention And Suppression System can be used in any possible application where a non-occupied environment requires protection from fire hazard or explosion.
At the present time there are no products on the market that would allow to prevent fire from igniting inside computer cabinets or other industrial enclosures containing inflammable or explosive materials. A computer or server produces a lot of heat inside its enclosure or cabinet, mainly due to friction and overheating of electronic components. At any time a malfunction of an electronic component or short circuit may cause fire and extensive damage. A spark inside a fuel container at gas station or tanker may cause immediate explosion. All current fire prevention and suppression systems are design in order to suppress fire after it starts, which might be too late. Current fire suppression systems are destructive for computerized equipment and cannot guarantee that fire will not start.
There are millions of powerful computers around the world, owned by large corporations, banks, communication companies, military and government agencies, many of them loosing millions of dollars in just one such fire.
There is no prior art on fire protection systems build inside a computer cabinet or fire hazardous container. The process and equipment described in this invention can guarantee that no fire will be able to start inside such computer cabinet or container having internal atmosphere with oxygen content under 10%.
The invention described in this document will prevent huge financial and environmental losses from industrial fires and will save many lives of fire fighters and general public.
A principal object of this invention is to provide a method for producing a fire safe hypoxic environment inside a computer cabinet or container with combustible, inflammable or explosive materials.
Further object of the present invention is the provision of an oxygen-depletion process and an apparatus for producing a low-oxygen environment inside a computer cabinet or industrial container, such equipment employing molecular-sieve adsorption or membrane-separation technologies.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a fire-retarding oxygen-depleted environment inside a computer room or industrial facility at standard, slightly reduced or increased atmospheric pressure and having oxygen content fewer than 10%.
Another object of this invention is to establish fire safe hypoxic environments inside computer cabinets or containers with combustible, inflammable or explosive materials by providing constant ventilation of such enclosures with oxygen-depleted air in order to remove heat and/or explosive fumes.